Messages - chris23

SVLBRD - SvalbardSometimes I get really bored with ambient techno. And then something like this comes along and blows my mind. The beats on this are simple, catchy, and modest. And the washes and drones drift by with perfect poise. Fantastic. On the new Faint label, an off-shoot of Spain's awesome Archives.https://faintmusic.bandcamp.com/album/svalbard

Ishq - PurelandMany of the tracks on here seem like re-processed versions of the same opening chime-like samples. But, buried within this theme are several unique tracks that are remarkable, including Endless Worlds which is a fantastic drone piece and Distant Horizons which captures the "other world" quality that inspires much of the Ishq work.https://virtual1.bandcamp.com/album/pureland

I think it is a quirk specific to Silent Season rather than ASC per se. A lot of their releases are on the expensive side. I've assumed it is because many of the cases are assembled by hand, but that wouldn't explain the digital price.

The releases coming from El Culto/Arc/Tomas tend to be on the expensive side too, including digital. I wonder if both labels have a set of repeat customers that make it viable to price in that range.

It is weird: I'd probably buy just about any interesting digital release for 5$. But once it goes past that threshold, I start doing weird maths to figure out whether I'd rather spend money on album A or album option B. With the exception of Silent Season, anything over 12$ in the digital realm is an automatic "no."

ASC - No Stars Without DarknessNew release on the Silent Season label. Slow-moving ambient space music. This is much in the spirit of his previous SS releases, but with less looping and more live synth-based electronics. I think this album will appeal to many people here. The CD is priced a bit high, but new ASC releases are in the "instant buy" category for me. http://shop.silentseason.com/album/no-stars-without-darkness

Actually moved a major part of my gear to the center of the house. The studio is on the north east corner of the house which will get the full force of the storm...140 mph sustained wind power are not to be taken lightly.

smart.

I'm watching some of the reports now. This looks dangerous. We'll be thinking of you; be sure to report back safely as soon as you can.

Johann Johannsson - OrpheeModern classical with some excellent experimental flourishes. Some of these tracks make me melt. Beautiful.

Ishq - FhormNew from ...txt. This is pretty cool stuff: experimental electronics, but not too far "out there." Many of the tracks retain some structure, making the album feel like the right balance between composition and improvisation.

Robert Rich - What We Left BehindI finally picked this up after Robert Rich opened his Bandcamp store last week. This feels like a mature release: the mood, the details, and the instrumentation all fit together nicely. Lovely artwork too.https://robertrich.bandcamp.com/album/what-we-left-behind

No Mask Effect - Nothing Out ThereFrom Psychnavigation's Keith Downey. This release combines urban field recordings with lush, rich synth textures to create some deep and mysterious atmospheres. The first two No Mask Effect releases seemed interesting, but I didn't feel compelled to press the "buy" button. This one was worth it.https://psychonavigation.bandcamp.com/album/no-mask-effect-nothing-out-there